Rodney Paul Guerra died at age 49 on April 8, 2022, in the Childress, Texas, County Jail. The address of Childress County Jail is 1005 Avenue F NE in Childress, Texas 79201. The Childress County Sheriff’s Office filed the custodial death report (CDR) on Mr. Guerra on April 12, 2022.

Inmates Under Restraint

In Texas custodial death reports, one of the questions to be answered is whether the deceased was under restraint at the time leading up to the death or the events causing the death. The Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) has approved various restraint devices for use by police officers and jailers.

Subchapter D-Restraints

A list of approved restraints is found in Rule §351.40-Definitions under Title 37 Part 11, which is the Texas Juvenile Justice Department. The following are types of restraints, which can be physical, mechanical, or chemical:

• Approved Physical Restraint Technique
• Approved Mechanical Restraint Devices
  • Ankle cuffs
  • Anklets
  • Handcuffs
  • Plastic cuffs
  • Restraint chair
  • Waist band
  • Wristlets
• Chemical restraint
• Four-point restraint
• Physical escort
• Protective devices

Prohibitions in Using Restraints

The following restraint techniques are not allowed:

• Restraints intended to inflict pain
• Restraints that deprive an inmate of basic human necessities, including water, food, restroom privileges, and clothing.
• Restraints used for discipline, retaliation, punishment, compliance, harassment, intimidation, or as a substitute for confinement or room restriction.

Learn more in this continuing series.

Making implications that wrongdoing has occurred on the part of persons or institutions is never intended on this website. The purpose of each post on this site is to provide information of benefit to inmates in Texas county jails.

–Guest Contributor